winegrapeclub.co.uk question

[Jbrew]

Has anyone used this company (www.winegrapeclub.co.uk)

I thought it looked ideal for buying grapes from southern Europe but although i have emailed on a couple of occasions i have had no reply from them at all.

Shame as it looks like a brilliant service

Cheers :nah:

 

[oldbloke]

Anybody who doesn't answer email... doesn't inspire confidence
Like, up to a week is about the limit for a business that's working properly

 

[tonyhibbett]

You can buy wine grapes from wholesale markets, like Western International and New Covent Garden.

 

[Moley]

Looks like a great idea to me, but if they only operate in September and early October, maybe they don't check emails for the rest of the year.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Like any other crop, grapes are a somewhat volatile commodity and the element of 'futures speculation' plays a part. Weather conditions are tending to defy forecasting and I would not project a price at this stage. The French designed the common agricultural policy to best suit themselves, whatever they produce, the Italians and Greeks have been found to be dishonest in this respect and Spain and Portugal are in economic decline, which makes them somewhat dysfunctional. Meanwhile, grape production in the UK is absurdly expensive.
It strikes me that the home winemaker has to continuously adapt to use whatever resources as they become available. It's less a matter of foraging in the hedgerows as foraging in retail outlets and even their waste bins, where perfectly good stuff is thrown away due to sell by dates.